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Sagitta, The Arrow Constellation

Sagitta (Pronounciation:Sadge-e-tar, Abbrev:Sge, Latin:Sagittae) is a constellation, one of 88 constellations that the night sky is divided into. The sky is not divided up equally between the constellations. Sagitta takes up 79.932 sq. degrees of the night sky which equates to 0.19% of the night sky. Sagitta is the 86th largest in terms of size in the night sky.

The constellation name means The Arrow . The constellation is one of the original constellations that was devised by the Ancient Greco-Egyptian astronomer Ptolemy who lived between 90 A.D. and 168 A.D.

There are 4 stars that make up the main constellation. The hipparcos satellite scanned and detailed 290 stars. There are 14 stars that can be seen with the naked eye in the constellation on a very clear night sky.

Sagitta is not a member of the Zodiac group of twelve constellations that appear when the Sun sets. Sagitta is a northern hemispheric constellation which means it can't be seen easily or at all from the southern hemisphere.

The distance to Sagitta is not calculable because all the stars that make up the constellation are at various distances. The best answer for distance to Sagitta is to calculate the average distance of the stars.

There are 3 Extrasolar Planets (Exoplanets) in this constellation that are detailed on this site. There is a dedicated page for exoplanets in Sagitta.

There are 1 deep space objects that were identified by Charles Messier in this constellation. There are no non-Messier deep space objects in this constellation that are covered at present on this site.

The image at the top right of this page was generated using Night Vision, a free to use and download application by Brian Simspon.

Sagitta Star Facts

The caveat of these stars are that they are catalogued on this site. If you know of a star that is nearer or further then do let me know in the comments and I'll add it to the site. The stars mentioned are from the Hipparcos catalogue or have been added because of their special status.

HIP 93873, Sagitta's Nearest Star

The nearest star to Earth is HIP 93873 which is roughly about 27.77 Light Years from the Earth. The nearest star to the Earth with an exoplanet is HD 231701 which is about 386.45 Light Years.

HIP 98230, Sagitta's Furthest Star

The furthest star that is located in the constellation is HIP 98230 and it is 65232.67 light years away from the Sun. The furthest figure is derived from either the 1997 or 2007 Hipparcos star catalogue parallax figure and it has been known to produce distances that are wrong.

Gamma Sagittae, Brightest Star in Sagitta

The brightest star in Sagitta is Gamma Sagittae and is located about 41.16 light years from the Sun. The star has a apparent magnitude of 3.51 but an absolute magnitude of -0.98 when the star is viewed from a distance of 10 Parsecs or 32.6 Light Years. The star is only recognised as being Gamma Sagittae rather than having Alpha status.

HD 190211, Sagitta's Dimmest Visible Star

The dimmest star that can be seen in Sagitta with the naked eye is HD 190211. The dim star has an apparent magnitude of 5.99. The dimmest star that a person is able to see with their naked eye is 6.0 magnitude based on the table in the reference. Ref: University of Michigan.

How to Find and View Sagitta in the Night Sky

Northern Hemisphere

The arrow can be seen in low sky from about April time. It follows the Cygnus constellation round the sky before falling back to Earth and disappearing in November whilst Cygnus stays in the sky.

Southern Hemisphere

The arrow can be seen from about May in a East-North-East direction, rising up and then falling back down to Earth in September in a West-North-West direction. It is a small constellation.

Sagitta Mythology

Sagitta was an arrow that Hercules fired to kill the Stymphalian Birds, his sixth labour.

Comments and Questions

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Kamiya Edwards

you need the other staars in aquarius

Rachell

That doesnt give much info for me and I am REALLY FREAKING OUT RIGHT NOW. WHAT ARE THE FREAKIN SURROUNDING CONSTELLATIONS OF CYGNUS!?!?!?!?! By the way you do/did a good job keep at it :)

Schaula

Wie hoch ist die Radialgeschwindigkeit ?

Dan neeleman

Its impossible...stars...yoyo's...cotton candy mmmmmm carnivals.ADD noooooooooooo its add... wait if you add one and one together its TWO! DANG GINA!!!